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Hunger and disease stalk refugee camps as families flee escalating violence in DR Congo
Sprawling tent city
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Thousands of tiny makeshift shelters hug the road leading north out of Goma, a symptom of the vast humanitarian crisis gripping DR Congo's turbulent east.
Credit: GUERCHOM NDEBO
Source: AFP via Getty Images
Organised chaos
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Since late October, many tens of thousands of people have flocked towards the relative safety of the city, fleeing the advance of the M23 rebel group.
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Source: AFP via Getty Images
Food scarcity
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Despite aid efforts, most of the displaced have complained of hunger, and several described having to fight for food.
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Source: AFP via Getty Images
Mass migration
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Precise numbers are hard to come by, but according to International Organisation for Migration (IOM) figures from late November, more than 140,000 people are camping in the Nyiragongo area north of the city of two million, or sleeping in churches and schools.
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Source: AFP via Getty Images
Finding shelter
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Furaha Nyirahabimana Pelaji, 32, who left her village because of the war, found refuge with her family in a classroom where she spent the night with over 33 other families
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Source: AFP via Getty Images
A looming presence
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The most vulnerable have settled near the roadside, packed inside tents cobbled together from sticks and tarpaulin on fields of lava spouted from the looming volcano Mount Nyiragongo.
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Source: AFP via Getty Images
Starting again
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Baduku Eric and Kabire Jean, both 23, build a small house where they will shelter with their younger siblings.
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Source: AFP via Getty Images
Heading off hunger
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Women and children wait to receive food prepared by a Unicef-supported feeding programme for malnourished infants.
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Source: AFP via Getty Images
Heavy load
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A makala (charcoal) trader rides his loaded motorcycle to the market in the city of Goma.
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Source: AFP via Getty Images
Fight for survival
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Refugees sell meat to support themselves, but poor hygiene at the camp poses a substantial risk to human health.
Cholera has also recently broken out, with a lack of water and sanitation exacerbating the problem.
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Source: AFP via Getty Images
Business as usual
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Street vendors Prince, left, and Jonathan, right, walk with their wares at the Kanyaruchinya camp
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Source: AFP via Getty Images
Taking a break
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Clothing vendor Yoshuwa Munjokolwa with his wares. Fighting in the province displaced about 370,000 people by November 28, according to the IOM, compared to about 90,000 in late October.
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Source: AFP via Getty Images
Scratching out a living
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Motorcyclist Omar Faustin, 27, tries to pick up work but he is unfamiliar with his new surroundings.
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On the front line
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A Congolese military vehicle transports more troops to the conflict zone. The danger remains close by – Kanyaruchinya lies several miles from the front line, which has been quiet in recent weeks.
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Source: AFP via Getty Images
Searching for loved ones
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Bazimenya Gasore, 71, was separated from his family when fleeing the conflict. Conditions in the camps are shocking and aid organisations are struggling to respond to the massive movement of people.
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Source: AFP via Getty Images
Rebuilding a life
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Among myriad other problems, there is little fresh water in Kanyaruchinya and the rocky lava field makes digging adequate latrines impossible.
Most of the displaced people sleep with just a blanket laid over the rocks. Regular downpours due to the DRC’s rainy season make conditions all the more wretched.
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Source: AFP via Getty Images
No end in sight
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Theo Musekura, the president of a displaced people's committee, said about 50 people had already died of illnesses such as cholera, malaria and diarrhoea.
A local hospital offers treatment, but “there are too many people,” he said.
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Source: AFP via Getty Images
Food vendors
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It is estimated that 80 per cent of those displaced in Kanyaruchinya are Congolese Hutus from the Rutshuru area of North Kivu.
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Source: AFP via Getty Images